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Cape Verde's Sand Thieves: Survival or Desolation?
17 Jul
Summary
- Women illegally extract black sand for meager income.
- This practice scars landscapes and degrades agricultural land.
- Authorities struggle to enforce bans due to survival needs.
On Cape Verde's rocky beaches, women like Maria and Vania engage in the dangerous and illegal extraction of black sand. For over 15 years, they have transported heavy loads, often weighing dozens of kilograms, to sell to contractors. This arduous task is their only means of survival in one of the nation's poorest regions, despite laws prohibiting sand mining.
The desolate landscapes of Charco Beach and others on Santiago Island, marred by stones and craters, are stark testaments to decades of this practice. The removal of sand has broken natural barriers, leading to seawater intrusion and soil degradation, rendering farmland unusable and forcing nearly 100 farmers to abandon their fields in one region alone.
While illegal, sand mining persists, with authorities sometimes showing leniency due to the dire economic circumstances driving the women. Organizations are working to offer alternatives like livestock farming, but many women, like Vania Tavares, who left school at 13 to work, see no other option.
Samuel Leal, from the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, acknowledges government efforts to reduce the impact, yet Ana Veiga of NGO Lantuna criticizes inaction and calls for reintegration plans for the marginalized women. Maria Eleonore Monteiro expresses a desire to stop if only she could find help, highlighting the deep-seated need for support.
